Beneath Our Faults (10 page)

"Shit!" A soft voice mumbled, tripping over my legs. I caught her before she stumbled down the stairs. Damnit, the last thing Lane needed was some drunk broad falling down the stairs and getting hurt.

Grabbing her around her hips, I lifted her back up above the steps. "What the fuck! You're not even suppose to be up here," I growled.

"Ss-sorry," she squeaked, stuttering. "I just really had to pee and apparently some girl named Monica was banging some guy named Peter downstairs and my bladder doesn't do too well when I've been drinking and," the girl continued to ramble, but there was something familiar in her voice.

My grip lightened on her and she stumbled back a few steps until she was away from me. My mouth gaped when I finally took a good look at her. Daisy was staring at me, dressed in a tiny green dress that hugged every curve and high heels that still didn't bring her anywhere near my 6'3 height. Her jet colored hair was damp, with my beer dripping down from it onto the floor. She was also clearly wasted off her ass. No, I take that back. She was beyond wasted. The chick was completely inebriated.

"Fuck, Daisy," I snapped, leveling my gaze on her. "Is this your first time drinking?" I stepped closer as she began to stumble around again.

"Nooooo," she slurred. Her face crunched up and she giggled. "But it has been awhile."

Leaning down, I grabbed my phone from the floor. Clutching onto her arms and leveling her wavering body, I dragged her tiny frame down the hallway until we reached the room I usually stayed in when I slept over. I brushed my fingers over the switch and the room's light flashed on. Shutting the door behind us, I warily set her down on the edge of the bed.

"Uhhhh," she mumbled, nervously, glancing around the room.

"Stay here," I demanded, walking into the adjoining bathroom. Dumping the rest of my beer into the sink, I rinsed the cup out before filling it back up with water while trying to keep my cool. I was going to rip Cora a new asshole when I found her.

"You need to drink this," I instructed, walking back into the room and shoving the red cup her way. She hurriedly grabbed the cup in her tiny hands and chugged it until she started choking.

"Whoa, easy there, killer," I chuckled, grabbing the cup before she ended up with more beer spilled all over her dress. She sent a glare my way, giving me the evil eye before collapsing back onto the bed.

"God," she groaned. "Why does it always freaking hurt? I just want it to all go away. That's why I drank so much but of freaking course, it didn't work." Her arms crashed against the bed while she mumbled shit I couldn't make out. "Why did I get everything taken from me? I'm a decent person. I go to church regularly," she paused, smacking her palm against her forehead. "Okay, crap, sorry God. I go to church sometimes. Not as much as I should, but I swear to you I will try harder."

I stifled back my laugher at her drunken rambles and sat down on the bed beside her but she wasn't done. "Then people like Piper," she hissed her name like it was poison hitting her tongue, "get to be all beautiful and rich then treat me like freaking shit when I didn't even want to come to this place!" Her voice grew louder and I peeked down at her body, sprawled out on top of the comforter. A few tears escaped and ran down her cheeks.

She looked pained.

Fuck.

I hated dealing with drunken girls and I tried to steer clear of it the best I could. Sure, I went to parties and they were around, but I never dealt with them sober. I needed a few more drinks in me before I could handle situations like this, especially crying. Shit, I hated when chicks cried. But being around a whimpering Daisy was different. I didn’t want to run for the hills at the sight of her tears, I wanted to stop them. I wanted to erase all the bad shit that was running through her head.

"Daisy," I whispered, leaning down to wipe away the hot tears with my index finger. My teeth grinded against each other at her words, assuming Piper was better than her. "Piper's beauty is nothing compared to yours. You hear me?" My hand grabbed her jaw and I stroked the soft skin covering her high cheekbones. "You have real fucking beauty that daddy can't put on his credit card. You are one of those most beautiful girls I have ever laid eyes on." I wasn't bullshitting her either. It was true. Even with her red, puffy eyes and mascara running down her face, she still looked gorgeous.

My mind went back to the night I first saw her staring at me from the balcony. I was so intrigued with who those dark eyes belonged to. That's why I stopped and talked to Tommy the next morning, I needed to catch a glimpse of her again.

She hiccupped. "I try to do what everyone says." She dragged out a deep breath. "You've got to keep living your life, Daisy. He's not coming back," she babbled, in a mocking tone. "How can I live my life without him?" Without thinking, I laced her hand in mine and ran my thumb over the top. My mom used to do that for me when I was younger and upset. I remembered how much it would soothe me. Her breathing was still rapid but I could sense it starting to slow down.

Using my other hand, I moved the beer damp hair away from her face and behind her ear. "Do you want some more water?" I asked, but before she could answer my question, my phone vibrated in my pocket. Digging it out, I found Lane's name flashing across the screen. Thank god, I needed some backup.

"Dude, where the fuck are you?" His voice yelled over the music. He must have been downstairs.

"Spare bedroom. Meet me up here and bring your girlfriend," I said, trying my best to mask my anger so I didn't upset Daisy. I continued to stroke her hand and the whimpers subsided. The room was silent, except our breathing when the door flew open, causing us both to jump.

Cora took one look at Daisy's blotchy face and wet clothes before turning her snarling scowl my way. "What the hell?"

Daisy tucked her legs into her stomach, forming a ball with her limbs. "Yeah Cora, what the hell?" I yelled, repeating her own words. "I found her up here roaming around, drunk off her ass like a damn rat caught in a maze. Oh, and she almost fell down the stairs." Cora winced at my angry words. "Why the fuck weren't you or Gabby with her?" My body heated just thinking of what would have happened if someone else found her.

Cora opened her mouth ready to spew out whatever bullshit excuse she had but Daisy beat her to it. "Please don't fight. I was just going to the bathroom but now I just want to go home," she said, trying to make her voice sound controlled. Her shaky hands bent down on the bed and she tried to push her body up to stand. Giving Cora a sharp look, I spun around to help Daisy get on her feet.

"I'll take her home," Cora said, stomping up to us and trying to grab her from my hands. She failed as I moved Daisy behind my body. "Or she can stay at my house since that's where she told her aunt she was staying."

"No," she demanded. "I want to go home."

"We're neighbors, Cor. I've got this," I demanded, collecting Daisy in my arms. Cora's cold stare deadpanned on me. She didn't trust me with Daisy which was bullshit because it if wasn't for me who knows where the fuck her friend would be right now. Stretching across the bed, I grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Daisy’s body.

"Keegan, don't try any shit with her," Cora warned, standing in front of me with her bony finger in my face. I wanted to lean forward and bite it right off her hand.

"You would really try to accuse me of that shit? What the fuck?" My anger elevated. She must be drunk if she thought I needed to get chicks wasted so I could hook up with them. I would never pull that shit. I only fucked willing and coherent girls.

"Babe, damn. Chill out," Lane advised, clutching her around the waist and moving her away from me. His face turned serious. "Dude, you know Piper is going to freak the fuck out if she sees you leaving with her."

"Do you think I could give two shits about how Piper feels?" I bit out.

"Nooo," he drawled out. "But Daisy might when Piper pulls out her demoness bitch wrath on her." Shit. He had a point. "And you know she will." He added, to further prove his point.

"I'll deal with Piper." I was going to make damn sure Piper didn't fuck with Daisy. "Let's just get her to the garage without anyone seeing us."

"I'll call Gaby and tell her to start distracting," Cora added. Her hands snaked into Lane's pocket, fishing out his phone.

"Good idea, babe," he replied, turning around and kissing her. God, he was so whipped it was sad.

"Do you want some more water?" I asked Daisy, looking down at her in my arms. Cora was on the phone explaining the situation to Gabby, so we had some time to bide. She nodded and I sat her back down on the bed before handing over the cup. "Drink it slow, not too fast." I kept my hold on the cup, in case she got too carried away. She put her cold hand on top of mine, controlling the cup and drinking it hastily until it was empty.

"We should be good to go," Cora announced, handing Lane's phone back to him. It was like we were on some secret mission. "You two pick her up and carry her to your car. I'm going to assist Gabby in our distraction strategy." She walked to the foot of the bed and gave Daisy a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving. "Call me when you get her home," she called out, walking out the door.

"Alright, let's do this," Lane clapped his hands and ran his palms together. "How about you carry her and I'll be the view blocker."

I nodded, gathering Daisy in my arms again with the blanket still wrapped around her. Surprisingly, no one was paying attention to the two guys carrying a body down the stairs. A laugh escaped me when I heard Gabby's ridiculously loud voice call out "body shots!" from the kitchen. Good job Gabby; body shots were always a great distraction.

Lane, on the other hand, wasn't too happy with their plan. "Cora better not be doing any damn body shots," he muttered under his breath, opening up the door to the garage.

"Thanks dude," I said, resting her in my passenger's seat. Bending down, I wrapped the seatbelt around her tiny frame and buckled her up before getting in the car.

"Be careful," Lane cautioned, slapping his hand down on the front of my hood. I backed out of the garage. The driveway wasn't as packed as when I got there so the party was beginning to die down. I glanced down at the clock on my dash, noticing how late it was.

I drove slow and took the back roads because I didn't want to risk us getting pulled over. A soft groan came from the seat next to me and her head drifted back into the headrest as her eyes fluttered closed. The drive remained silent with the few exceptions of her moans.

"Don't take me home," she finally whispered, and I gave her a fleeting look. "I don't want them to tell my parents."

"Huh?" I looked at her incredulously, not knowing what to do with her. "Where do you want to go then?"

Her body shifted in the seat but her eyes stayed shut. "I think I changed my…." Words stopped when her hands clasped over her mouth. That could only mean one thing.

A chilly wind rushed into the car as the passenger door flew open and the top half of her disappeared. I turned the steering wheel until we were parked on the side of the dimly lit road. The sound of her heaving up the contents of her stomach echoed through the dark night. I unbuckled my seatbelt, leaning over and grabbing as much of her hair as I could hold back. She continued to let loose and I rubbed my hands down her back, hoping she was making it out of my car and not giving it a regurgitated Daisy shower.

Another grumble came from outside of the car and the heaving subsided. Releasing her hair, I opened up the glove compartment, grabbing a handful of napkins from my last food run. The door shut and she plopped back against the seat again. "You good?" I asked, handing over the napkins.

"Sure," she muttered against the napkin at her mouth. "So gross." I watched her face twist up in revulsion and she balled the napkin up in her hand before setting it in the cup holder. "I seriously despise puking."

"It's happened to the best of us," I reassured, trying to make her feel better. Shit, I've lost count of how many times I've puked on myself, other people and other shit. I patted her thigh with my hand gently but instantly removed it when I felt her entire body tense up at my touch.

Cursing myself for my stupidity, I put the car back in drive and drove down the street while she violently tugged on her damn dress and avoided all eye contact. "We have three options.” I held one finger up. "One, I can take you home." She flashed those dark eyes at me, shaking her head at option one. I held up another finger. "Two, I can take you back to the party and you can stay at Lane's or Cora's?" She shook her head a second time. A third finger went up. "Or three, you can stay at my house." She didn't say anything for a minute while she contemplated her options in her head.

"Your house it is," she answered, plopping her head down on my console. I shook my head at her choice, curious on how much more interesting this night was about to get.